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Nov. 12th, 2008 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickPuff pastry initial report: Does not appear to be terribly difficult in terms of ingredients. This is *totally* process cooking rather than ingredient cooking.
It is my considered opinion that cooking is divided into two camps -- process and ingredient. You can tell "ingredient" recipes because you're off having to buy weird liquors for 2 Tbsp. of them and looking for spices that your grocery doen't carry and finding someone who will sell you liquid nitrogen, sheet gelatin, and similar. "Ingredient" cooking is like a scavenger hunt. If you get all the ingredients together, you win.
"Process" cooking involves things that you probably have in the cupboard or in the fridge right now. It's what you do with the ingredients that makes for the cooking impressiveness. After all, look at this recipe -- it's a pretty damn poor household what doesn't have butter and flour and water on hand. If you cook at all (and aren't vegan), you probably don't even have to go shopping before you attempt puff pastry at home.
I tend to prefer "process" cooking on the grounds that it's a pain in the ass for me to get weird ingredients here in the hinterlands. Process cooking also tends to be significantly cheaper than "ingredient" cooking, if that helps shove anyone to the process side of the fence.
Butter mix:
1/4 cup flour, 14 Tbsp. butter. Mix until smooth paste. Form into 1/2" thick square (wrap in plastic wrap and use rolling pin for neatness), chill for half an hour. (I am here.)
Detrempe:
1 3/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup very cold water, 2 Tbsp. butter. Cut butter into flour until the stuff looks kind of like cornmeal, add water, stir. Knead 1 minute (should make a nice, elastic ball about the size of a navel orange). Wrap in plastic wrap, put in fridge for half an hour. (I am also here.)
Next, I'll be rolling out the dough big enough to wrap around the butter thing, wrapping it around the butter thing, rolling it out flat, and then folding it in thirds. Then I rotate it 90 degrees, roll it out again, third it again, and put it in the fridge to re-chill. Following chilling, I roll out and third again, roll out and third again, and rechill. Then again, I roll and third, roll and third, and put in to chill. After that last, I can roll out and make things.
Yeah, this is totally a process food item.
It is my considered opinion that cooking is divided into two camps -- process and ingredient. You can tell "ingredient" recipes because you're off having to buy weird liquors for 2 Tbsp. of them and looking for spices that your grocery doen't carry and finding someone who will sell you liquid nitrogen, sheet gelatin, and similar. "Ingredient" cooking is like a scavenger hunt. If you get all the ingredients together, you win.
"Process" cooking involves things that you probably have in the cupboard or in the fridge right now. It's what you do with the ingredients that makes for the cooking impressiveness. After all, look at this recipe -- it's a pretty damn poor household what doesn't have butter and flour and water on hand. If you cook at all (and aren't vegan), you probably don't even have to go shopping before you attempt puff pastry at home.
I tend to prefer "process" cooking on the grounds that it's a pain in the ass for me to get weird ingredients here in the hinterlands. Process cooking also tends to be significantly cheaper than "ingredient" cooking, if that helps shove anyone to the process side of the fence.
Butter mix:
1/4 cup flour, 14 Tbsp. butter. Mix until smooth paste. Form into 1/2" thick square (wrap in plastic wrap and use rolling pin for neatness), chill for half an hour. (I am here.)
Detrempe:
1 3/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup very cold water, 2 Tbsp. butter. Cut butter into flour until the stuff looks kind of like cornmeal, add water, stir. Knead 1 minute (should make a nice, elastic ball about the size of a navel orange). Wrap in plastic wrap, put in fridge for half an hour. (I am also here.)
Next, I'll be rolling out the dough big enough to wrap around the butter thing, wrapping it around the butter thing, rolling it out flat, and then folding it in thirds. Then I rotate it 90 degrees, roll it out again, third it again, and put it in the fridge to re-chill. Following chilling, I roll out and third again, roll out and third again, and rechill. Then again, I roll and third, roll and third, and put in to chill. After that last, I can roll out and make things.
Yeah, this is totally a process food item.
